David Foster and Katharine McPhee on new Christmas album, their first musical pairing in 17 years

David Foster and Katharine McPhee named their holiday album “Christmas Songs” for the most practical reason.

“Someone at the record company said, ‘If you call it ‘Christmas Songs,’ when you say to (Amazon’s) Alexa, ‘play Christmas songs,’ it will play your album,” Foster says.

And does it work?

“I’m not sure; I haven’t tried it yet,” he says with a laugh. (It does not.)

“Christmas Songs” – a seven-song EP of Yuletide classics – is not only the first Christmas album from super-producer Foster (Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand) and McPhee, his songstress wife. It’s their first recorded collaboration since meeting in 2006 on the set of “American Idol,” where McPhee’s second-place finish and gilded voice launched her music career.

Married since 2019 and parents to 22-month old son, Rennie, the pair was “too busy being a couple,” McPhee, 38, says in a joint interview with her husband, to focus on a shared musical project.

USA TODAY Gift Guide:  No matter how you holiday, make it iconic. Shop the USA TODAY holiday gift collection. 

Best new Christmas songs of 2022: Pentatonix, Debbie Gibson and more

But a favorable notice in USA TODAY prompted them to consider an album: During the pandemic, a 2020 story documenting the best at-home concerts praised their “cute chemistry” and ranked their themed YouTube series (Movie Night, Disney Night) No. 1 among similar virtual offerings from Pink, Chris Martin and John Legend.

Foster, 73, says the recognition triggered the realization that an audience exists for a Foster/McPhee enterprise, and seasonal songs seemed like a logical foundation.

“Christmas music is one of my favorite things to do. There’s no real pressure with the charts. You get a free pass in a way. But obviously, it still has to be good,” Foster says.

For McPhee, working with her husband was hardly a heavy task.

"David makes it so easy for artists; he’s a really good director and producer in that way," she says. "You just have to show up and be focused and that’s it. You bring yourself and ideas. In this genre of entertainment, I leave a lot of responsibility to him."

Among the album's highlights are a swinging, horn-infused romp through “Jingle Bell Rock,” a delightful rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (in which McPhee improvised the line, “Rudolph, you’re the GOAT!”) and “My Grown-Up Christmas List,” the tear-inducing ballad of hopefulness written by Foster in 1990.

Natalie Cole sang the original version on Foster’s 1990 album, “River of Love,” but covers by Amy Grant in 1992 and Kelly Clarkson (2003) have maintained interest in the pensive song.

Foster and McPhee are touring with a Christmas-focused concert through Dec. 17, but Foster was hesitant to include “Christmas List,” which he says he wrote on his boat – “And I don’t mean a yacht!” he says with a laugh – in Canada one August.

“I kept saying to Kat, ‘Do you think people know it well enough?"

"It’s shocking to me that he doesn’t think people know the song,” McPhee adds.

Along with touting the album, McPhee is also deeply absorbed in her new jewelry line, KMF. “It’s a super creative outlet for me. I never thought I’d feel so fulfilled doing something like this, but it’s a passion of mine … the more I’m learning, the more involved I’m getting,” she says.

Ultimate Christmas music guide: 50 of the best songs to get you in the spirit

When the couple returns home to Los Angeles, it will be to a completely decorated house – another McPhee infatuation is festooning the halls – as they prepare for their second Christmas with young Rennie.

“He cried when we introduced him to Santa last month,” Foster says.

McPhee, who is relishing motherhood, calls Christmas the “ultimate” holiday. And she should know, considering her mother “made holidays out of everything – Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day … she always made sure her child had something to look forward to.”

One tradition McPhee hopes to introduce to her son once he’s older is an annual trip to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, as McPhee did with her mom.

But for the immediate future, the Foster family will be content with watching their favorite holiday movies: “White Christmas,” “Love Actually” and the new Apple TV+ offering, “Spirited.”

McPhee hints that next year, the couple might make their own Christmas movie, another step in broadening their public collaborations.

“When we first got together, we thought it’s a little unique (because of our age difference). We didn’t do any interviews together, and slowly but surely we got out there and did (Café) Carlyle (in New York this spring) and now the album and TV shows,” Foster says. “We’re saying, the hell with it – we’re here, get used to it!”

Kennedy Center Honors: Amy Grant, U2, Gladys Knight feted at 2022 ceremony

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Foster, Katharine McPhee Christmas album is first in 17 years